The queen "mum," continued

We're studying "the" Proverbs 31 woman this week -- the mom of the king. Which king? King Solomon! We've studied Bathsheba before, but this time we are looking at whether or not she was a woman of wisdom . . . a Proverbs 31 woman.

Let's start with her heritage.
It's ever so popular these days to delve into our ancestry. Genealogy used to be the hobby of silver-haired ladies and gentlemen, who pored over documents and books to find clues to their predecessors. Nowadays, you can find out all about your great-greats and the countries they came from, much more easily. There are tests and analysis and of course, the interwebs!

Bathsheba had a Godly heritage, that we touched on before. She was born to a man named "Eliam" and that means "God is my kinsman." I guess you could also say it means "part of the family of God." It's often interesting to look at Biblical names, because sometimes they were prophetic, and sometimes descriptive. When we study, we see that Eliam was a good example of a true child of God, because he is listed in II Samuel 23 with David's mighty men of valor. These were men renowned for their virtue and their fighting skills.
She also had a Godly grandpa. Yes, it's true that later on in life, he turned on David, but perhaps it was because of what he saw David do to the life of his granddaughter! Earlier, he was a trusted counselor, and look at what was said of him:

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice. (II Samuel 16:23)

Ahithophel's words and the testimony of his life showed him to be a wise man, and a man who walked close to God.
She was given a name, chosen by her father, that reflected his genuine faith. Bathsheba can be translated "daughter of the oath." This could mean the promise of God to Abraham, or it could mean a thanksgiving promise made by her mom and dad. Either way, the result is the same -- Bathsheba was raised in a home that honored God.

OK. She was raised in a very good family. Even a Godly one. That doesn't make her a saint, right? (Grin) But it does paint a picture of a woman who has every chance to internalize a strong faith and a great deal of wisdom.
Another thing we can see from the Word is that her father chose a particular man for her to marry. Uriah, a Hittite, is another of David's mighty men of valor. This probably means that he was sort of adopted into the Jewish faith, since a devout Jew like Eliam would have been very careful to arrange a marriage "in the faith." The wisdom of Eliam's choice is proved by Uriah's showing more nobility of character than David himself......proving his name, Uriah, or "light of Yahweh," to be true.

So, Bathsheba was born to a godly man, and had a godly grandfather, and a godly husband.
Hmmmm.
She doesn't seem like a vixen, does she? A home-wrecker? Seems like all of that was tarnished by David's actions . . . especially since when the prophet Nathan confronts David, he lays the blame solely at David's feet!  He was told when he inquired of her, that she was married.

Now she will be re-married . . .

After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. (II Samuel 11:27)

It's not how you start out that tells the most about a person. It's how you end up. And tomorrow we will see how the story ends . . .